AIBU - gambling is truly nasty and pernicious...

If someone doesn’t have much money they will beg, steal, or borrow the money they need to feed their addiction. If it means pawning their possessions or someone else’s, it doesn’t matter. People have lost their homes, their marriages, and become estranged from family who loaned the addict money but never got it back. Eventually they end up alone without any support system having run out of options for getting the money they need legally.
The saddest thing is that addicts who try to kick the habit are relentlessly bombed on their phones with adverts from gambling companies. One young man had nearly kicked his habit for good but succumbed to the constant ads and committed suicide.
Companies that do this bombing should be held to account. Is criminal.

Unfortunately it brings a lot of money into the economy. There is nothing wrong with gambling if done in a proper way.

vegasmags

I think that the growth of online gambling has exacerbated addiction. It can be carried out in private, unknown to family and friends. I am astonished by the number of TV adverts promoting this activity, and wonder if they shouldn't be more strongly regulated.

The situation in the USA is very complicated, because different states take differing views, but it is much harder to gamble online because of credit card regulations which are absent here.

This post ticks all the boxes on the perils of gambling. Never really had had a problem with the usual suspect High Street bookies back in the day.

When besides the daily gamblers people could have the odd flutter or a bet on a big horse race like the Gand National. I know they has changed a lot

But the introduction of Online gambling has really changed to get whole nature of gambling. And l think online gambling should be banned.

But really don't know how this could be achieved.

Gambling Addiction like any addiction is truly awful. And can really destroy individuals and their families.

Saw a man clearly on his uppers and the worse for drink spend £10 on scratch cards the other day. We hear a lot about people living in poverty but when benefits are squandered on betting and boozing it makes my blood boil.

They shouldn't be allowed to advertise on TV or have their banners/sponsorship of footie shown on TV

Advertising should be banned on gambling as is smoking in all places. Stop the idiocies of the “take a rest”ones also similar line to “Air on a G string “ having the same affect on smokers.
If the USA can control it online as a previous poster reported, why can’t the UK?

My dear late mil was exactly like Anne58, she made a real hobby of studying form, had her favourite trainers and jockeys, gambled nearly every day, just 20, 30 max 50p a day and thoroughly enjoyed it! She was totally non addictive, although she could have afforded to gamble much higher stakes, she never did!

As Anne has said, you can gamble without doing great damage, and most certainly the phrase "More bookies in the High Streets of the UK than shops now" is utter tosh.

Sure, there are some problem gamblers, but the numbers are DWARFED by the number of problem eaters, and problem drinkers! The eaters and drinkers also tend to kill themselves, having on the way cost the NHS huge sums trying to fix THOSE particular addictions (which the taxes from gambling are helping to pay for!). Oh, and drunk drivers tend to kill people, people who've overdosed playing roulette (etc) largely don't? Let's ban excess food and drink, have Big Brother checking your Tesco till rolls?!

TV adverts? Yes, look closely, and you will see them festooned with signs about 'GamCare', 'BetResponsibly' (etc etc).

Horse-racing is one of the largest employers in the country, apparently, when you add in all the ancillary business interests (hospitality, transport, etc), and trying to cripple it would be thoroughly counter-productive. And as some have said, it can be a nice day out (maybe don't go on a wet day like we've had so much of lately?!).

The REAL problem apparently lies with online games, roulette, poker, etc, which the campaign to not drastically increase taxes on horseracing tried to focus on. Those sites it seems, according to the article I read, are based outside of the UK, in low-tax locations (Gib, Malta, etc) so hard to enforce UK laws on them. If you have bright ideas about that, send to your MP?

Ban gambling because it's a terrible thing? Well, the numbers suggest it's hugely popular. Lots of countries abroad have horse-racing, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and plenty more, massive amounts in the States, Oz, Hong Kong, SA, and these days in S America too. Those countries tend to have a 'Tote' Based system, with the profits going to racing, or perhaps good causes.

I read years ago that THIS country messed up when betting shops appeared, the MacMillan Govt (Tories!) allowed itself to be 'persuaded' (the polite term?!) to let them be run by commercial interests, and so Ladbrokes, Corals, etc built vast business empires from the profits. We could only guess if any recently ex-politicos found themselves as directors of such firms?!

I'd love to know what is the 'proper' way to do gambling.

ArthurAskey

Saw a man clearly on his uppers and the worse for drink spend £10 on scratch cards the other day. We hear a lot about people living in poverty but when benefits are squandered on betting and boozing it makes my blood boil.

How did you know he was on benefits?
Did you ask him?

He could have been reasonably well off but just scruffy.

Maremia

I'd love to know what is the 'proper' way to do gambling.

Premium bonds and perhaps a lottery ticket occasionally because it helps good causes!
A charity raffle? You buy a ticket (or ten) but might not win a prize.